VFK Neon Quest 2011
Description Bright neon signs glowing in a rainbow of colors have lit up the dark since the 1920's. Businesses from rural locations to urban environments, quickly put them to use attracting customers through unique messages and interesting shapes. Over time, this unique art form has inspired many memorable signs, endearing them to generations of admirers. Vintage neon signs have become a popular collector's item. On today's quest, we are going to explore the interesting history of neon! Your reward for completing this quest will be 1,000 credits, and the Elegant Heart Panel! Prizes Questions 1. Over three hundred years ago in 1675, French Astronomer Jean Picard was the first to have a glimmering of understanding about neon. Picard climbed a mountain one night to experiment with the effect of air pressure at different elevations with a then recently invented mercury barometer. He observed that the tube was dimly glowing. Shaking the tube caused the mercury to glow brighter. What was this light called? * Firefly light * Celestial glow * Barometric light * The Mercury Effect 2. The glow called barometric light was an unexplained phenomenon that inspired investigation. This phenomenon later became known as "static electricity." As discoveries of the principles of electricity were made, lighting of many forms began to be discovered. Go to Outside the Marshall's Office, and say: "Static electricity!" 3. The next major discovery contributing toward neon signs came in 1855 with the invention of the Geissler tube. A German physicist and skilled glassblower, Heinrich Geissler, began making the first known "discharge tube art." When electrical generators were invented, experimenters filled geissler tubes with different gases and applied electrical voltage. What would usually happen? * The tube would burn up * The gas glowed * A power outage occured * The Geissler tube exploded 4. Julius Plucker took Geissler tubes and experimented with controlling the discharge with magnets and tubing of different sizes. The first examples of fluorescent light production occurred in 1859 when Antoine Henri Becquerel made tubes containing luminescent materials and rarified air. Go to Audubon's Deserted Desert in Western Age and say: "Glow little neon light, glow!" 5. While studying liquid air in 1898, Sir William Ramsay and Morris M. Travers discovered gaseous elements in the atmosphere including the noble gases xenon and krypton. One rare gaseous element they discovered they called neon. The newly discovered element, they named after the Greek word "neos". What does the name mean? * It's the name of a greek god * Light * New * Mountain 6. In the early 1900s Daniel McFarlan Moore, a U.S. electrical engineer and inventor, filled long glass tubes with carbon dioxide and nitrogen mixed together and produced a relatively efficient electric light. His discovery was based on gas discharges and was the forerunner of neon and fluorescent lighting. Go to the Castle Entrance with fountain in Medieval Age, and say: "Mix the elements and light the world!" 7. In 1902, Georges Claude, a French engineer, chemist, and inventor took Moore's tube, filled it with neon and applied an electrical discharge. This process produced a brilliant light. This first neon lamp was introduced by Claude for the first time in Paris, France on December 11, 1910. What color does a neon filled tube glow when electricity is passed through it? * Red * Blue * Yellow * Purple 8. On Jan. 19th, 1915 Claude patented his neon lighting tube in the US. Through his neon light company called Claude Neon, he sold two signs reading "Packard" to a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles. The owner of the dealership, Earle C. Anthony purchased them for $12,000 each. Go to Ned Kelly's Hideout in Australia and say: "Neon signs make your business grow!" 9.The new neon lights were an immediate sensation and began to be used for outdoor advertising of all types. Neon lights are visible in the daytime as well as at night, and they proved highly effective in attracting a potential customer's attention. In what way are different colors produced from these tubes? * The inside of the tube is coated with a color * The glass of the tube is a different color * Paint the outside of the tube a different color * Different gases produce different colors 10. The making of neon lights and signs is a very labor intensive process. It requires different lengths of glass tubing, high amounts of heat, gasses, and electrical voltage. Neon gas glows red, while other colors are made by using other gasses, including argon, mercury and phosphor. Go to the Station Upper Level in Space Age, and say: "Nothing can beat glowing gas!" Answers 1. Barometric light 2. Go to Outside the U.S. Marshalls, and say: "Static electricity!" 3. The gas glowed 4. Go to Audubon's Deserted Desert in Western Age and say: "Glow little neon light, glow!" 5. New 6. Go to the Castle Entrance with fountain in Medieval Age, and say: "Mix the elements and light the world!" 7. Red 8. Go to Ned Kelly's Shack in Australia and say: "Neon signs make your business grow!" 9. Different gases produce different colors 10. Go to the Station Upper Level in Space Age, and say: "Nothing can beat glowing gas!" Category:Quests